Big Rhinos Need Big Hearts Too

Summer is finally here, which means it is rainy season and the bush is lush and green. This suits our rhinos as they are able to hide themselves well in the dense areas while having plenty of grass to snack on too. In the summer months, Lula and Khulula’s lucerne feeds are reduced because the bush now provides the food they need.

An interesting fact to note is that for the first week of ingesting their summer green diet, their dung takes on a green appearance as their bodies adjust.

In Esmé's case, she retires to her boma at night and is therefore still given lucerne to eat. Esmé is proving to be a great big sister to orphaned rhino bull Thaba and along with their sheep companions, Mielie and Vlooi, they go on many adventures together in the bush during the day.

Once again, we thank each and every person who donates towards the care of our rhinos. Thanks to you, they are not only well fed, but their security is also taken care of, which allows them the ability to spend what we hope will be many more peaceful days out in the wild.

As it is now officially spring in South Africa, we are patiently waiting for the arid winter landscape to begin showing the first shoots of green grass and leaves - once we receive our first good downpour of rain, of course.

In the meantime, our rhino girls, Esmé, Lula and Khulula, continue to get daily lucerne feeds to supplement their nutrition until there is adequate green vegetation for them to eat.

An interesting fact about rhinos is that they deposit their excrement in a pile in specific spots only. This is called a midden – to transmit information about their sex, age, territorial status (males) and estrous state. We remove the excrement to areas where land erosion has occurred. Rock barricades are then placed around the excrement to prevent it from being washed away with the summer rains. In this manner, eroded areas of land can be revived, which in turn allows for vegetation to grow and provide food for our animals. Ecology at its best!

If you have been following us on social media, you would have seen that Esmé has slowly been introduced to orphaned baby rhino, little Thaba. Thaba lost his mother when she was killed by poachers, and at a mere 3 months of age, he arrived at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre to be cared for. Esmé has been extremely patient with the little one but is quick to enforce boundaries when he keeps nudging at her to play and she isn’t in the mood to do so. We hope that the bond between these two will continue to strengthen and that Esmé takes on the role of either a surrogate mother or big sister.

Please keep checking back for our next update or follow us on media for regular info. We would also like to sincerely thank each and every supporter who donates towards the upkeep of our rhinos. Thanks to you, we can continue to provide them with food, love, care, and of course, very necessary security.